Changes Part II: Spreading The Disease
by mvboys2
Summary: With the changes complete, Scott, Tom, and Matt have to adjust to their new lives. But it won't be easy, especially with the growing threat of the virus.
1. A New Life Is Born

It was an average Monday in the town of Eastridge, New York, close to 6:00 AM. The sun rising in the east, the birds chirping, and people getting ready to go out to school or work. And in one of those households lies me, Tom Franks.

You probably know who I am by now, but if not: I'm 15 years old. Me and my brothers Scott and Matt, plus friend Dan, are in the band Cygnus X-2, which specializes in Rush covers with other material as well.

Anywho, I was lying on my bed, curled up in a ball, with my tail wrapped around me for warmth.

Oh yeah, there's one thing I forgot to mention. I'm a Pikachu.

You may ask, what? How can you be a Pikachu? They don't exist, and they certainly couldn't form bands and sing!

One week ago a virus was released in my towns water supply, which turned Pokemon from just a mere fiction into a reality, and humans were the ones who became them. And me and my two brothers were the victims. Scott became a Raichu, Matt became a Pichu, and I became a Pikachu. All my humanity disappeared, with the only exceptions being my voice, mind (Thank heavens for that), and hairstyle, though it was yellow and not brown. Yesterday, Sunday, was my first day of living like this, and it wasn't easy. My tiny paws were too small to hit the keyboard keys, listening to music was tough with my super-sensitive ears (Though I could pick out a lot of details) and pretty much everything was made difficult with my small size. Despite this, I still would try to live my normal life, which would be pretty hard as a furry, chubby rodent, and unfortunately, that meant I had to go to school.

RING-RING! RING-RING!

The alarm clock woke me up with a start, and was especially loud on my new long (and cute!) ears. I tugged on them in pain, but got up.

With my new body, I tried doing my morning routine. But it was a lot harder than normal, and quite a bit different. I tried taking a shower, but I was too small to reach the handle to turn the water on. I struggled for probably around 5 minutes, but then decided to give up, water always made my fur smell bad anyway. So then, I tried to get clothes on, however, they were all too large for me, and I didn't want to look like a weirdo, well, more than I already am. So I decided to go naked, the fur covered my... you know... anyway.

Then, I went downstairs, where my mom greeted me with a big hug.

"Good morning!" she said. "How are you?"

"Umm, okay, I guess. This is all so surreal! This still feels like a dream".

"I know, it still does to me. But look on the bright side. It's the first day of a new, and much cuter, you!" My red cheeks got a bit redder at that last part.

I hopped down off the couch, and tried to get my usual breakfast of Cheerios. But due to my small size I couldn't get them, so I had to ask my dad. This was embarrasing since I was old enough to do these things by myself by now, and I didn't like being treated younger than I really was. But this time there was no choice.

My human appetite remained, and I ate quickly, even faster thanks to my new, sharper teeth. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my brothers walking downstairs, or at least trying to, Matt ended up having to be carried in Scott's arms, I could tell by his squirming he didn't like it.

Finally, the final step of my morning routing was to brush my teeth. But even that was difficult. My small size made it difficult to handle the toothbrush, and since my teeth were a lot sharper some of the hairs got caught in my teeth and I had to pick them out, which was ALSO hard since my fingers were like nubs. By this point it was 7:05, and I couldn't be late for school, so I quickly put on deodorant and went downstairs. I was way too small to carry my backpack, however the school had all the assignments on the computer so it was no big whoop. We then piled into the car, Dad driving since obviously Scott couldn't drive in this condition, and drove off to school.

Dad dropped us off, wishing us good luck, and we set off, the much-bigger looking school doors beckoning.

It was going to be a long, strange day ahead...


	2. A Day In The Life

This was it, my first day of school in my new life.

I walked silently into the building, careful not to cause much of a fuss, well, as little of a fuss as a real life Pokemon in New York could create. I walked towards my first class, Chemistry, surprised to see the hallways look almost dead.

When I entered the class, I was promptly greeted by silence and stunned stares.

However, someone broke that silence. "OH MY GOD!" One boy yelled out. "A REAL, IN THE FLESH, PIKACHU IS IN OUR CLASS!"

A group of a few boys and girls then picked me up. "Aww," one girl said. "He's so CUUUUTE!". They started poking and prodding me, feeling my ears, tail, and furry back. "And you're so soft!" the very loud boy stated. "THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" he bellowed. Looking in the back of the room I saw more people who had transformed, one was a Fennekin, another an Eevee, a Charmeleon, and a Jangomo-o, who seemed kinda jealous at the attention I was recieving.

"Everyone, keep it down" my teacher stated. "I know that this situation is quite interesting and all, but we need to get on with this lesson, we have an important test on Molar Mass coming up and we need to prepare." "Here's a 100 question work packet, I expect it to be completed shortly." Groans ensued. But before I got the packet the teacher walked up to me.

"Your parents told me about your situation, and the school has provided us with a smaller desk for people with your... condition". "Hold on one moment". He went outside briefly, before returning with a comically small desk which probably wouldn't even fit a kindergarten student. "Here you go, I think this will suit you much better"

My ears drooped when I realized how ridiculous the desk would make me look but I got in it anyway. I managed to do the lesson relatively well, though I heard some snickering in the background.

After that, it was on to Health, same song, different verse. Goes into class, gets small desk, people think i'm cute and stuff, including the teacher who is a big Pokemon fan. However English was different, most people's attention wasn't focused on me, they seemed to be more focused on classmate Michael, who turned into a Togedemaru and was the center of attention for HIS cuteness. Then, it was off to lunch. I tried to find my friends Mark and Alex, I walked over to my regular table, and instead of them I saw a Glaceon and a Litten. Man, is EVERYONE ending up cute? I feel sorry if anyone turned into a Magmar or Bruxish or something...

I walked up to them, jumping on to the chair. We chatted about what we normally talk about, as well as how it was going. I was relieved to hear they were doing very well, in fact they thought being real life Pokemon was super-cool. I ate my lunch faster than normal due to my sharper teeth. Near the end of lunch I was called down to my guidance counselor, probably to check on how I was doing. I walked down to the guidance office, where my counselor greeted me with a smile.

"Good morning!" she said enthusiastically. "How do you feel?"

"Pretty good, but getting used to the size of everything is hard." I responded.

"Yeah, it must be pretty hard due to your small size." She replied.

"My teachers and classmates are all very understanding of the situation, i've even been getting extra attention from people due to my cuteness!"

"Well, that's unsurprising." "Do you have anything else to add?" the counselor questioned.

"Well, this whole thing still feels like a dream. I mean, i'm a Pikachu, something that shouldn't even exist!" I stated.

"I understand how that feels. When I heard on the news of people turning into Pokemon, I was sure it was just a hoax!" She replied. "Anyway, not much else to state, just wanted to check on how you were doing. You can head off to your next class now."

"Okay, goodbye!" and then I walked out.

The rest of the day had Italian class, which had a very embarrassing moment where I invoulentarily let out a "chaa!" squeak during the typical attention over my cuteness, Orchestra, where I was excused from playing the violin, which I normally do, since I was way too small, Music Theory, where we, in "celebration" of the recent events marathoned all the Pokemon Theme Songs and discussed the musical motifs and stuff, AP World History, where I noticed one student had turned into an Electrode (Man I wonder how THAT felt), and closed out the day with Algebra class, where the teacher had turned into a Grovyle, and was the center of attention because he looked cool. In every class at least a few people had transformed into Pokemon, this made me feel happy because we were all in this together.

I took the bus home, where my two Chu brothers were there, we chatted about our day and it seemed they were happy. As the bus pulled up I was feeling very satisfield over the day. Everyone was so supportive, understanding, and kind about the whole situation and it made me super-glad. However, when we got home, we got a big surprise!


	3. Fame

In the driveway of my house were a number of trucks, and people crowding around my house.

I was very curious at first, why were all these people here? Then, I saw on one of the trucks the text "EASTRIDGE LOCAL NEWS 3", and it hit me. These people were here to interview me! I immediately had a lot of questions, such as "Why are they here?" "How do they know where I live?" and "Is this actually a scam and they're trying to kidnap me" since y'know how does the news media know where I live? Unless they have like a record of the addresses of everyone which is spooky. However I soon realized that last statement was too paranoid, and honestly kinda dumb, and shrugged it off.

"And it seems that the three have arrived!" the lead news anchor stated. I saw my Mom and Dad walking back inside the house, I assumed they had already been interviewed. "Here are Tom, Scott, and Matt Franks, three of the victims of what the media has dubbed "PokeItis". "Now, Tom, how does it feel being a Pikachu?" she then passed the microphone to me.

"A mixed bag. On the minus side, It's weird being so small, most normal tasks are extremely difficult for me. But on the plus side, everyone seems to be very understanding of the situation, and I also get a lot of attention, though that's not surprising given that i'm a living, breathing Pikachu."

"Thanks for the info." "Now, Scott, how long have you been a... what's that thing called again?" She asked. "It's called a Raichu, Lindy" the co-anchor whispered, which I heard pretty clear with my new ears. I chuckled at this. "Oh yes. How long have you been a "Raichu"?"

"Today is my second day." my Raichu brother responded. "Though it was a gradual process and started a few days back. The tail was the first change."

"How are you handling the situation?" She asked.

"It was scary at first, but i've kept my head up. Doing lots of things now is pretty hard though, given that the transformation gave me no fingers." He then showed off his fingerless paws. "My friends have been very helpful though, the school has let them write down my notes for me".

"Also, a question for this very little guy down here, Matt. Many people in this town have turned into Pokemon as well, the estimates are possibly over 100. (For perspective Eastridge has a population of 2,000) What's your advice for people in your predicament?"

She then passed the microphone to Matt, I tried to hold back laughter at the fact the microphone was almost as big as him.

"For all you people who have turned into Pokemon as well, or are in the midst of turning into Pokemon, understand that it's not the end of the world, that you can still live your normal life no matter what. Also know that this may not be forever, and that there is always hope that you can be back to normal someday". I was pretty surprised by his formal statement considering his young age.

"Thanks for the insight. Now, before we go I have one last question" the lead anchor's cohort asked. "Do you know just how _cute_ you are?" He stated, a cartoonisly large smile on his face. "I just want to pick you up and hug you and squeeze you and smoosh your cheeks and..." he was interrupted when someone else grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

"Sorry for that inconvenience, Steve freaks out whenever he sees something cute".

"It's okay, people do that all the time to me." I responded.

"Anyway, thank you for your time, and have a great day." She turned the mic away. "Now, coming up next. Jellyfish? In MY sink? It may be more likely than you think, just ask Nelson Neils." I didn't bother to hold back laughter at that.

We walked inside, where my parents greeted us with big hugs.

"It's so good to have you home!" Mom stated. "How does it feel being interviewed? You're famous!"

"Not sure if "famous" is the right word, given the fact it's only for a tiny news station, but i'm happy about it!" Scott responded.

"So your first day back went well?" Dad asked.

"Yep! And I hope that things continue this way" I answered.

"Me too!" My mom responded.

After the initial excitement, the rest of the afternoon went somewhat normal. I did my homework, which took longer than usual due to my tiny fingers, chatted with friends online, listened to music, and did all the stuff I normally did, including a great dinner of Popovers. I was in a very good mood, with all the attention I got from people in school and even from the news, and how I still managed to live kinda normal despite being a 1 foot tall rodent Pokemon.

But one thought I had lingering in my head was, could my band still exist? I could still sing, but Matt seemed way too small to play the drums, and Scott and Dan's lack of fingers would make it very hard for them to play guitar and bass, respectively. I hoped that what my mom said was right and that my dream of becoming a famous musician wouldn't die.

Later that night, as I went to bed, I was feeling happy, but also concerned about what the future held. What I didn't know was that tomorrow problems would lie ahead.


	4. Author's Note

**Sorry for the long hiatus! I've been busy with a lot of things.**

 **But don't fret! This story's not over. Chapter 4 should be released by the end of the month.**


	5. Thunderstruck

The next morning was very similar to the last one. I had got used to my new Pikachu body, and managed to do my morning routine quite a bit faster. Most of the school day was pretty ordinary too, people were getting used to the idea of having Pokemon in their classes, though I did get some squeeing once again.

However, a few notable things did occur that day.

First, I learned that I while I was lucky to get a good Pokemon, others weren't so lucky. During lunch, my friends told me about one poor kid named Don, who got turned into a Muk, and stank up everywhere he went so bad that he was not only removed from school but had to be quarantined, unable to leave his room. They also told me about one person who was in chorus class, who became a Jigglypuff, and had to quit because she couldn't sing without making everyone fall asleep. She seemed pretty broken up about that. Hearing stories like this were very eye-opening for me, and showed I was lucky to get a more "easy" body.

The second thing was a much more unpleasant experience. On the way back from lunch I was going to my next class, Italian, when suddenly a group of two edgy kids walked up to me, all decked out with piercings and such.

"Well well well, if it isn't the little Pikachu." The one on the left said in the most generic "tough guy" voice ever.

"What do you want?" I said, growling. If this was an anime a vein mark would have appeared on the side of my face.

"I've heard that you and your brothers are trying to start a band, and become "famous". The one on the right responded. "Seriously, who do you think you are? Do you seriously think that a group of tiny rodents would be able to sing and play instruments? Besides, you don't even have any talent". All the things he said just made me angrier.

"I'll have you know" I snarled, "That I have more talent in my two cheeks than you two have combined". Okay probably getting a bit too egotistical there.

"Are you sure about that?" The one on the left replied. "I've heard your music. Your voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard and i've heard better keyboard playing from when I dropped my cat on the piano." "And your puny bandmates aren't much better. The drummer in particular sounds like my six year old brother banging pots and pans". Taste is taste and all, but I was really getting ticked off by that point. However what they said next pushed me over the edge.

"And besides, even if you _did_ have talent, you can't do it now. Unless i'm _wildly_ mistaken and your guitarist can play guitar with no fingers, your bassist can play bass with... no fingers, and your drummer can even manage to hold the drumsticks." "Face it, you're a dead end. Reality is going to catch up with you soon. In five years, you're probably just going to be standing in the streets, handing out flyers for whatever project Apple or Samsung wants to sell now. Think about it, a advertising Pikachu! They're gonna _love_ -" Every line they said felt like a hammer driving a nail in my skull, but that really did it, and I snapped.

"Shut up! "You're wrong! Every single thing you said is wrong!" "If anyone's gonna end up as a failure, it's **YOU!** ". I screamed. I was incensed. Then, something happened that I couldn't believe.

Suddenly, blinding flashes of yellow light started streaking off of my body. They took on a shape similar to lightning bolts, and hit the two bullies in the stomach, with such force that they were knocked against the wall.

I stood there in stunned silence for a while, with only the sound of my deep breaths. How did I do that? Were they going to be okay? I knew they were jerks, but I didn't want them to be hurt. But then it clicked to me... I just thundershocked them! I was surprised by this, I didn't know that the transformation came with abilities. This is cool! "Does this mean I have other abilities as well?" I wondered. But then something else hit me. Am I gonna get in trouble? Will I be suspended? Expelled? I know schools these days don't really take kindly to this kind of stuff.

And then, right on cue, a teacher walked up to the scene. "Crap" I muttered.

"Alright, whoever did this, speak up" She said coldly. And there we go, i'm doomed. But I couldn't lie to her and say that it wasn't my fault. So I decided to speak up.

"Ummm... It was... me." I stated timidly. "These two kids walked up to me and..." However, while stating that sentence, something welled up inside of me. I don't know if it was guilt, or anger turning to sadness, like it sometimes does, or fear. But either way, I began to cry, tears running down my red cheeks. "I didn't mean to do it, I swear!" I said between sobs. I tried to regain my composure, and calmed down enough to explain the situation. "These t-two kids walked up to me, and... s-started saying r-really mean things to me, they said that...I was going to be a f-failure, and I don't know w-what happened next but they got hit w-with lightning bolts..." However the teacher interrupted me.

"It's okay." she said. "I know you must be still adjusting to your new body."

My ears perked up at that. "How did you know?" I stated. I had calmed down somewhat.

"Because i've seen this happen with other humans-turned-Pokemon. One Lucario kid accidentally used an Aura Sphere and put a big hole in the gym wall." She explained. "It's okay, you're not going to get in trouble." She reached down and patted my head. I was starting to get really sick of everyone treating me like an animal, even though I well... kinda was. I didn't say anything though.

We went down to the principal's office, where we sorted out the situation with him. The kids who I thundershocked were dazed, but not seriously injured. As a result, I didn't get in serious trouble, but I still got detention. Frankly, I deserved it.

When I got home I didn't even bother to talk about it with them, I just went upstairs and lay down on my bed, thinking about what had transpired.

Up until today things were going pretty okay with my Pikachu body, but now I was having second thoughts. This time I was lucky that I didn't harm the kids, but what if this happens again? What if that time they get seriously hurt, or even killed? Can I learn how to control my powers before it happens again?

These thoughts drifted around my head, until I fell into an unpleasant sleep.


	6. Where Have You Been?

**Where's Chapter 5? You may be asking.**

 **Sorry for the lack of updates, but i've been busy with several stories not just here but on DeviantArt (PikachuLover2112.)**

 **Chapter 5 should come soon, I hope.**


	7. Thunderbolt and Lightning

I was soon woken up from my uncomfortable sleep by the voice of my father.

"Tom? Wake up!" he called.

I slowly opened my eyes, and saw my dad sitting on the bed, right near me.

"Leave me alone." I muttered. "I don't want to talk about it." I heard my dad sigh, before ignoring my wishes and talking about it.

"Listen. I know you're upset about what happened today, but don't worry. I'm not mad at you. I know that you're still not entirely used to your new body, and I can respect that." He then started petting my head. But upon his touch, I recoiled. "Stop!" I screamed out, possibly a bit too loud. Dad's hand jerked back, obviously startled.

"I'm sorry". I replied. "I'm just...really getting sick of everybody treating me like some kind of animal. I mean, I kinda am, but… I'm still a human on the inside, and I don't like how people treat me like a pet."

"I understand…" he said, followed by a sigh. "If you want to come downstairs i'm going to be making dinner." He said. Then, he walked out of the room, leaving me alone.

As I continued to lie down on the bed, I started to feel better about my situation. I mean, after all, I didn't hurt the bullies, so I wasn't in any serious trouble.

However, I still had doubt. If I was unable to control my electric abilities, this could definitely happen again, and be much worse. Or what if I accidentally discharge when taking a shower or something? Electricity and water don't mix.

The answer hit me like a semi-truck. I could try to train by abilities! If I could just get them to work, there was no need for me to be afraid of this happening again.

I decided to do this outside, I didn't want to risk messing up my room. I hopped out of bed, went down the stairs, and went out into the backyard.

Once outside, I tried to focus on using my powers.

 _Okay, Tom. You can do this. I mean, Ash's Pikachu made it look so easy in the anime!_ I thought. But how do I use the moves?

First, I thought that maybe I had to push it out (Looking back, maybe not the best idea.). No matter how I tried to push, however, no static came out (and thankfully nothing else did, either.) After that failed, I tried a new idea. Maybe my abilities are triggered by thoughts? I figured it was worth a shot at the very least.

 _Okay, Tom. Think of thunder. Thunder, thunder, lightning and a…_ (I'm so sorry)

My train of thought was interrupted when I heard the sound of electrical buzzing. I opened my eyes, and saw myself surrounded by a yellow light! "Woah…" i muttered. Afterwards, bolts of light started streaking out, upwards towards the sky.

I couldn't believe it! I had figured out how to do thundershock!

Unfortunately, things turned south when one of the bolts of light hit the trampoline we had in the backyard, leaving it burning in the middle. My ears drooped. "Oops".

My dad ran outside and quickly doused the fire. Thankfully, he was not mad ("None of you even used it anymore" he reasoned).

But despite the slight embarrasment, I was happy. I had learned how to use Pikachu moves! Of course, i'm didn't think there would be much i'd need to use them for, but at least I could control them now, and hey, releasing bolts of electricity from your body is pretty cool.

Feeling much happier now that I knew how to control my abilities, I went back inside. My dad had prepared pasta for dinner, and I ate it heartily, though sometimes my fork would slip from my tiny fingers.

I then went on the computer, and signed in to my normal chatrooms. However, what was being discussed was quite troubling.

XxMisty_Best_GirlXx: Have any of you heard the news?

XxMisty_Best_GirlXx: Apparently, a virus has been spreading throughout New York, it's turning people into Pokemon!

Frosty-Chocolate-Milkshakes: No way!

XxSMisty_Best_GirlXx: Yes way!

Wait a second...virus spreading throughout New York? Oh no. Oh nononono.

This is _not_ good.


	8. Back In The Saddle

This was _not_ good.

I had just found out that the "PokeVirus", which had changed me, my brothers, and many people in school, into Pokemon, had spread beyond the school.

Upon hearing the news in the chatroom, my first thought was that I had to find more info about it.

I quickly went to CNN, or at least, I tried to, as my small fingers didn't hit all the keys right and I accidentally went to a phishing "survey" website. Thankfully, the second time went better. And sure enough, splashed across the front page was the headline:

 _"PEOPLE ARE TURNING INTO REAL LIFE POKEMON, AND NO, THIS ISN'T CLICKBAIT". (gee thanks for letting me know). I clicked on the article, and the text read:_

 _A virus has been spotted in water supplies around New York State, which is turning people into Pokemon. Yes, Pokemon. The colorful Nintendo monsters have entered the real world, and humans are becoming them._

 _How is this unthinkable situation happening? We asked one of New York's top scientists, John S.C Moe, for answers._

 _"It seems that a while ago there was an accident at a laboratory in the town of Eastridge. A group of scientists have worked on a project called the "Fantasy Realizer Device". It can bring stuff from fiction into the real world. I don't know how but it can. Anyway there was an accident, which released Pokemon D.N.A into the air, which got into the water supply". Mo explained._

 _The virus was first only spotted in the small town of Eastridge. However, despite the best efforts to contain it, it has spread across New York, being spotted in everywhere from Utica, to Albany, to New York City. However, it has not spread outside of it, though there are unsubstatiated rumors of it being spotted in Florida._

 _As of press time, a cure for this does not exist, but the latest report is that is is in development._

This was not the news that I wanted to read.

While I was pretty well off in regards to my Pokemon form, others weren't so lucky, and I didn't want many people to have to struggle with a bad Pokemon form. And not only that, but how much would the virus spread? Would it eventually go all across the country? All across the world? Would humanity become extinct? Would we all live in a Pokemon world?

Then, I saw an extra note at the bottom of the article.

 _A group of people have started a charity fund, entitled Pokemon Go...away, dedicated to raising money to help find a cure for this disease. Donations will be accepted at their website._

A charity fund, huh? If it wasn't a scam, I hoped that I would be able to contribute. I could probably donate some money of my own, but I also wanted to raise money to donate.

 _But how could I do that?_ I wondered. Tag Sale? Nah, we already cleaned out our old toys and stuff. Lemonade stand? I mean, that could be a possibility. But as soon as I started thinking about how to best make lemonade at 1 foot tall, the answer hit me like a thunderbolt (get it? I'm so funny, hey wait why aren't y'all laughing) from the sky.

I could stage a benefit concert! I could book an outdoor show in the park, and we could play and the money would be donated to the charity! It would be great!...

Or would it?

I was reminded that I was a Pikachu, and my bandmates consisted of a Raichu, Pichu, and Marill. I mean, I could still be able to sing, even though my voice sounded somewhat embarrassing, but how would I be able to play keyboard with my stubby paws? How would Scott play guitar without any fingers? How would Matt play the drums if the sticks are bigger than he is? How can Dan play bass without any fingers?

But then, I thought back to what my mom had said earlier. That just because I was a different species didn't mean that I should abandon my dreams. I figured that she had a good point, and decided that it was worth a shot to try to find solutions. Of course, we might have all had significant handicaps, but I was sure that we would be able to work around it. Besides, even if it sounded like crap, it would definitely be in the news for a long time.

And while the concert might be for raising money, for me it wasn't just about the money. It was also a test, to see if my mom was right, to see if the kids who bullied me were wrong, to see if a Pikachu really could rock.

As I was thinking about this, I saw Scott and Matt entering the house. Both of them stayed after school. I heard them chatting to themselves.

"I hate how people think that just because i'm an animal I like being petted! It's not like that at all! And haven't people got the hint that I don't need to be picked up to walk in the hallways?" I heard Matt say. I walked up to the two mouse Pokemon.

"I have an amazing idea. Did you hear the news that the Pokemon virus is spreading?" I asked excitedly. They nodded.

"Well, I figured that maybe to help raise money for finding a cure, we could stage a benefit concert!" Their ears perked up at that. Even though we had been animals for some time I still chucked at that."A benefit concert?" Scott asked. "But how can we do that if we're Pokemon?"

"Trust me, we can find a way" I replied. "Remember that time when we managed to play a concert with no electricity? Or when I gave an incredible performance despite having laryngitis? Or when you gave that ripping guitar solo when all the strings broke? We still managed to pull off great performances despite those, so we can work around this!"

"Well, "great" might be a bit of an overstatement" Scott responded, "But you know what? I think you have a point. The novelty of Pokemon playing music alone would probably raise a few thousand bucks. I think i'm gonna call up Dan, and see what he thinks."

"Eh...i'm still not sure…" Matt started, but then I interrupted.

"If you don't participate in the concert i'm gonna tell your friends to carry you around everywhere." A look of horror appeared on the Pichu's face.

"We're getting the band back together!" he yelled out.

Soon afterwards, Scott came back in and informed that Dan said yes, as well. Things were all falling into place for a comeback (but don't call it a comeback).


	9. Getting In Tune

The rest of the week at school wasn't so hot.

There was some bright spots. People had finally accepted my new form, and there wasn't any more squeeing or petting. Though that did mean I would get less attention, I personally preferred little attention over embarrassing attention. I managed to do all the work in my classes fine, as well.

I had also managed, by this point, to successfully control my thundershock attacks. Doing them was nearly natural for me, all I had to do was just try to focus my mind on it. I was very happy that I was able to do this, it helped erase a lot of the fear from my mind that a repeat of what had happened a few days before would happen again.

However, word had spread about the thundershocking incident. Someone had filmed the incident, and uploaded it to Youtube under the name "PIKACHU KID USES THUNDERSHOCK (REAL) (NOT FAKE)". Though the school took the original video down, people had already snatched it themselves, and it circulated throughout the web. The effects of this I definitely felt, and not in a good way. I noticed that many people had become somewhat afraid of me. Sometimes, when I would walk down the halls, or try to strike up a conversation with somebody that wasn't a friend, people would walk away from me, seemingly afraid that i'd thundershock them too. A few particularly mean kids even insulted me over it, calling me a "monster". The behavior people exhibited towards me over this depressed me. It was merely an accident. I hoped that it could blow over soon.

Back on the lighter side of things, did have something to look forwards too. I had successfully booked a benefit concert, to be held outdoors in a nearby park. All proceeds from it would go to the charity fund for "Pokeitis". This was the chance I had been waiting for, the chance for me to prove if my dreams could still come true. On the next Saturday, me, Scott, Matt, and Dan headed towards my garage, to rehearse for this occasion.

Rehearsals started rocky. All four of us had issues to deal with and fix.

Matt's small size made him unable to even reach his head beyond the drum hit, let alone play it. Whenever he tried to pick up the drum sticks they would be too heavy.

Both Dan and Scott struggled to figure out how to play their instruments, bass and guitar respectively, without fingers. It was very hard to grip the picks with this. As well, their size was another hurdle. Sometimes when they tried to wear the instruments around their shoulders, they'd fall down because it was too heavy for them.

And as for me, my issues were similar. My fingers were very tiny, and thus it was hard for me to press the right keys on the keyboard. As well, my voice sounded quite a bit higher, while this did allow me to hit higher notes easier than ever, it sounded pretty ridiculous at times.

These problems would plague our early rehearsals, which didn't go very well at all. We struggled through song after song, missing more notes than a kid rushing through his reading annotations (okay that was a bit of a clumsy analogy but I hope you get my point?) We sounded just as bad as the bullies had said earlier, and I was reminded of their harsh comments.

By this point I was getting really worried. Did this mean that my dreams of being a musician were over? Would we have to shill Apple products, like the bullies said to me earlier? I started to get discouraged, and worried that what they said would be right.

But I wasn't ready to give up yet. The performances may have started out poorly, but we could improve. There had to be solutions! We just hadn't thought of them yet.

In fact, the solutions were hiding right in front of our faces, and we just didn't think about them.

When Matt was struggling through a particularly tricky drum part, he accidentally hit his drumstick at an angle that resulted in it snapping in two. I first thought that we'd have to get a replacement, but as it turned out, the lightened weight caused by that actually helped. He was able to play the drums much easier using that one. Realizing that it could help out, we managed to snap his other stick in two. Now with a much lighter load, he was able to drum almost as well as before. The height problem was also fixed, as we managed to find a different stool, with a tall extension, allowing Matt to be able to see the drums.

Dan and Scott ditched the picks, playing the guitar and bass with their own bare hands. After practicing for an hour or so, they finally managed to work out playing with their paws. They also decided to stop wearing their instruments around their shoulders, instead holding them. With those two changes made, they were ready to play well.

And finally, though playing keyboard with my small paws was hard at first, I eventually managed to get used to it, and was able to play as well as I ever could. The voice problem couldn't be fixed, of course, but we decided to fill the set with songs mainly in the upper registers, that would allow the problem to become less apparent.

We were ready to rock and roll.


	10. Endlessly Rocking

After the intense rehearsing was finished, the day had finally came. This was it. The day of our big concert had arrived. To see if we, despite the fact that we were Pokemon now, could still rock out. And of course, to help find a cure for the disease that changed not only us but many other former humans.

Before the concert, I mostly did what I did normally on weekends. Playing games, listening to music, engaging in chatrooms, etc, though as usual being a Pikachu made it a lot harder to do some of those things.

I was anxious, but also excited. I was delighted that what my mom said, that just because I was different doesn't mean I couldn't follow my dreams, looked like it was right, and I was itching for the chance to perform again. However, I was also concerned. Though we had eventually shown positive results in our rehearsals, I didn't know if those could carry over to the big show itself, given that rehearsals and the show itself are two different beasts. After all, in rehearsals you could try as many times as you like, but in live performance you only have one shot. And I was really hoping we wouldn't blow it.

Soon enough, showtime arrived. The concert would be outdoors in a park nearby, billed as "Pokemon Rocks: A Benefit for Pokeitis" (cheesy title I know). We arrived at around 6:00 PM, with the show scheduled to start at 7. There was a pretty decent crowd gathered, and quite a few of them fellow transformees.

Before the show, we did some last minute preparations. Matt got his super high drum-stand ready, and same with me and my keyboard stand. We ran through a couple of songs, including Rush's "Anthem" and "The Spirit of Radio", along with "Walk in the Shadows" by Queensryche, and all three mostly went well. And then, the house music playing at the stage stopped, the lights turned off, and it was time to rock...I hoped.

For our opener, we picked Rush's "Xanadu". As usual for when we picked the song, the stage would first be in darkness, with the lights dramatically coming on with the opening guitar riff.

I was very nervous as to how the show would go still, and with my new body still not 100% used to keyboard playing, I missed some notes in the opening section. Out of frustration, I involuntarily released a thundershock. Thankfully, it missed all of our equipment, avoiding a potential catastrophe, but I was still pretty embarrassed at that. But my embarrasment quickly ceased when I heard cheering! People must have thought it was all part of the show, and a very impressive part at that. I was glad, but I decided to refrain from doing that further because thunderbolts and musical equipment do _not_ mix.

The rest of the song went without incident. We managed to play the song effectively, and I managed to sing it well. The guitar solos were a little iffy, but other than that we gave a solid performance. My nervousness eased somewhat.

From there, we proceeded through the rest of the show. We played a good mix of songs. In the first half, Rush were represented by performances of "Anthem", "The Spirit of Radio", "Something for Nothing", "The Big Money", and "Bastille Day". We also played Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" and "War Pigs", Queensryche's "Walk In the Shadows", and Rainbow's "Stargazer" before closing out the first half with Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused". In the second half, we started with a piano set of Elton John's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", Queensryche's "Someone Else?" and Queen's "You Take My Breath Away", followed by Queensryche's "No Sanctuary" the appropriately titled "Victim of Changes" by Judas Priest, and the usual ending string of Rush epics. "Natural Science", "Cygnus X-1", "Hemispheres", "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", and "Working Man" all in a row, closing out with an encore of "2112".

Most of the songs went very well. Some of the time, admittedly, things would be somewhat sloppy, but hey, you try playing rock music as a Pokemon. It's hard! There was definitely some flaws. Scott was forced to cut down some of his guitar solos, the drum sound wasn't as full as it usually was since Matt's small size made it harder to reach over the drumkit, Dan had to simplify some of the more complicated bass parts. And as for me, my voice was, as mentioned, significantly higher pitched than before (though in terms of range it was pretty similar), which sounded pretty awkward in spots, and some keyboard parts were poor.

However, like in the rehearsals we mostly managed to work around the limitations well other than those issues. Scott would sometimes just shred through the more complex solos, which sounded less polished but I suppose it added it's own aggression. Matt made good use of the drums he could reach, and managed to play his parts pretty well. Dan was similar in simplifying his bass parts but also adding more aggression. And while my voice was pretty awkward mostly, I tried singing in a much grittier style, and while it did make me sound somewhat like a cross between Geddy Lee and Alvin and the Chipmunks, it did fit on some of the higher-register songs. I also managed to get more used to keyboard playing as the concert progressed.

And even when the performance wasn't 100%, the audience didn't seem to mind. The sheer novelty of Pokemon playing these songs seemed enough to tide them over even when things weren't so good. By the end of the show, my nervousness had pretty much entirely disappeared.

We left the stage to much applause, and I was as happy as could be. My mom and dad had told me that I could still follow my dreams even as a Pikachu, and they were right!

( **NOTE: For optimal reading, read this passage in a posh British narrator voice** )

 _A month or so later, a cure for the disease was found. It was a shot that reverted people's DNA back to it's original state. Some people, however, actually liked being Pokemon, and thus remained so. Originally, those people were scorned upon and ostracized, but eventually people got used to them and they became accepted. One transformee even started a company called "Pokemorphs, Inc." which would turn willing people into Pokemon for as long as they pleased. The "Fantasy Realizer Device" that had started the whole mess would be reworked, reinvented and commercialized, and called the Dehumanizer. In the push of a button, a beam would be sent out changing someone into whatever the person using it wanted. And yes, hilarity ensued._

 _Tom, Scott, Matt, and Dan did take the cure, and became human again. The rehumanized Cygnus X-2 continued to perform, eventually recording their own original material and changing their name to just X2. They never got much mainstream recognition but became cult favorites._

 _Their closest brush with fame would be a few years later, when a director made a bio-pic about their story entitled "The More That Things Change…" Unfortunately, he took many artistic, erm, "liberties" with their story, from the decision to make all the music crunkcore and death metal, to adding a number of slow-motion gun fights. The film was a flop._

 _And through it all, nobody would forget this story, the story of how not just Eastridge, not just New York, not just the United States, but the entire world, was changed forever._

 _ **THE END.**_


End file.
